“I was really nonexistent in Season 1. Tyler was really one-note, a jerk, and an alpha male d—–bag — it was boring and I was frustrated,” he says. “To see how fast Tyler’s arc has progressed from Seasons 2 and 3 — when he first found out about the werewolf thing, then he turns into a werewolf, and in Season 3 he becomes the first successful hybrid, and his relationship on and off with Caroline — I like the way things went and that he grew up.”

Hybrid fans, rejoice: Tyler’s returning to the show very soon, and Zap2it spoke with Michael Trevino to get some scoop on his imminent return and what’s coming up for his character at the end of the season. Has he broken that sire bond? What’s going on between him and Caroline? Click through to find out, but beware of spoilers! Also: This will be Tyler’s first on-screen Mystic Falls dance!

“In the three seasons, for some reason or another, Tyler hasn’t been at any of these dances. He’s never there, so for me it was cool to finally be involved in that process,” Trevino says. “I got a whole different getup as far as my wardrobe, and it was the first time that I actually had dance rehearsal, on ‘The Vampire Diaries.’ I’ve never had to go through that drill, so it was kind of fun.”

Looks like it’s Candice Accola‘s turn for a round of interviews! She spoke with Entertainment Weekly about (spoiler alert!) what Caroline’s been up to lately, a lot of fans were missing her last week. According to the actress, Caroline is following Stefan’s example, (not the murder-y one, guys, don’t panic), and is stepping up to help out someone in need.

[spoiler]“We’re gonna see Caroline step into the role of the mothering mentor. We’re gonna learn about what happens when a witch does transition into a vampire and what that means and what she loses,” she says. “We’re gonna get to know Jamie [the young man Abby took in while she was estranged from Bonnie] a little bit better. I can say he’s chopping wood in a very revealing tank top, ladies. So get ready, because those arms are chopping wood like no other.”[/spoiler]

Meanwhile, Zap2it also interviewed Candice, and asked her a few questions about how Caroline feeling about her father’s killer right now, and where things stand between Miss Mystic Falls and the much-missed Mr. Tyler Lockwood. Beware of spoilers!

Zap2it: When Tyler comes back, is it a happy reunion for the two of them?

Candice: It’s happy because they want to see each other.[spoiler] We’re going to learn if Tyler was able to break the sire bond or if he wasn’t, and that’s going to effect how their relationship moves forward. [/spoiler]

“I really didn’t expect there to be a funny cadence between those characters’ conversations. It fit perfectly into it, especially at that time with Stefan showing her the ropes because Caroline is the perky “play with me play with me” pesky cheerleader and Stefan is more brooding, serious and so they played well together. I think this season there’s been other things to focus on and Caroline’s taken over Stefan’s place in the sense of showing people who are new in their supernatural ability, how to cope with it. There has been no intention to not have Caroline and Stefan be in scenes together, it’s just there’s been so many plot points and story lines going on right now. They’re still there. I’m sure that they’ll eventually have scenes together again.”

TVLine talked to Candice Accola about what’s coming up for Caroline in tonight’s big episode and beyond. On how Caroline will deal with the host of tonight’s formal ball:

“Caroline is definitely not viewing Klaus as the nice guy. She’s not like, “Ooh! He’s got an edge!” She knows he’s an extreme, evil killer. But at the same time, Caroline recognizes and learns from even just being around Katherine that… you can’t back down. You can’t show fear. You can’t allow yourself to be backed into a corner. You have to stand up and be strong.”

And where’s Tyler, anyway?

“He has gone to work on himself [and] to learn how he can not fall prey to [having been] sired so he can take control back over his life. It’s because of Klaus that Tyler even bit Caroline to begin with. In order to fight for her and fight for himself, he’s taking the time to learn how to not be controlled by Klaus.”

E!Online has more cast interviews from their recent visit to the Vampire Diaries set and this time Candice Accola discusses the finer points of…uh, dancing, jewelry, and Tyler, in a rather coy, playful manner. You can watch Candice’s take below and then head over to E!Online for what Joseph Morgan has to say.

TV Guide‘s Robyn Ross is whetting our appetite for tonight’s episode with some teasers from Michael Trevino and Joseph Morgan about what’s coming up for Tyler and Klaus, including an unlikely ally Tyler tries to enlist. WARNING: This has spoilers for Our Town (EP311) and tonight’s The Ties That Bind (EP312). On Tyler’s developing feelings about being a hybrid, Michael says:

“When Tyler drank Elena’s blood and transformed into a full-on hybrid … he had a swagger to him and confidence and felt chosen. Every male figure in Tyler’s life has either gone or passed away or has been killed and so there’s this little complex of daddy issues. He was chosen to become the first successful hybrid so he wants to make Klaus happy, but now he sees how evil Klaus is and maybe this is a curse upon the curse he already has of being a werewolf.”

And in this week’s Vampire Diaries Bite, Robyn has some interesting scoop from Julie Plec on that certain word choice Elena used at the end of Our Town (EP311):

A select number of media outlets were invited to a round table interview with Vampire Diaries’Michael Trevino today and he had some very interesting things to say about recent developments between Tyler and Caroline and…someone else, the lengths Tyler is willing to go to set things right in tomorrow night’s episode, and even who he’d like to see Tyler hook up with should he and Caroline be on the outs forever. Read (and watch!) the entire interviews at the below websites, but be cautioned there are spoilers for The New Deal (EP310), Our Town (EP311) and The Ties That Bind (EP312).

“At the end of last week’s episode we find out that as much free will as Tyler thinks he has, that sire bond is really a lot stronger than anybody could have imagined, so much so that [spoiler]he literally bites Caroline.[/spoiler] But unwillingly. He’s as shocked as her. He’s like ‘How did I do that? Why did I do that?’ The sire bond is something not to be taken lightly,” Trevino says.

“It’s possible [there is no way to break the sire bond],” Trevino teased. “We don’t know for sure, but we know there are steps we have to do to get to that if you want to try. And it’s not the easiest process, but Tyler’s going to try.”

He’s ready for a fight with Klaus if it comes down to it. “I would like a showdown. I know Julie [Plec] would write something epic. It’d be really good. Plus, just for me, with any kind of showdown, it’s great to work with a great actor, and Joseph’s pretty solid,” he jokes.

So many things will definitely be changing for Mystic Falls’ number two hybrid, but Trevino assured EW that one essential thing would always remain the same: “Tyler is shirtless [tomorrow night], believe it or not,” he laughed. “Tyler is shirtless.”

A Visitor's Guide to Mystic Falls is an anthology of essays that brings together today’s best YA writers of the supernatural to talk about the Vampire Diaries' first season, from the characters to the storyline, the magic and the town. Edited by Red & Vee. Due October 19th.

Go deep into the heart of Mystic Falls with this episode-by-episode look at the first season of The Vampire Diaries. Love You to Death: The Unofficial Companion to The Vampire Diaries is the essential guide to the show.

Stefan’s Diaries tells the story, as depicted on The Vampire Diaries television show, of the love triangle that would change the Salvatore brothers’ lives forever. This trilogy offers new insight into the wildly popular TV series and the epic love story that turned devoted brothers into mortal enemies. The first book, Origins, is due for publication on November 2nd, 2010. Find out more...

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